Page 229 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

content provider to Instagram, the Food Network, Yelp, and
the like), we actually haven’t matched that enthusiasm by
making more of our food at home. Compared with even just
a few years ago and certainly with many years ago, we dine
out more, order delivery more, and generally outsource more
of our meal making to the food and food-service industries.
Overwork edges out time that might have been spent on other
elements of living, including preparing and enjoying food. The
trouble with planning meals for the week is that for many of us, it never
pans out. You end up working late, getting hangry, and stop-
ping at Chipotle on your way home before you nose-dive into
bed, or any of a dozen scenarios you’re probably familiar
with. The best intentions give way to food waste when reality
meets aspiration in the grind of workweek cooking.
WINNER: Meal kit

ROUND 5: MEAL KIT VS. STOPPING IN THE GROCERY
STORE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK AND TRYING
TO REMEMBER INGREDIENTS FOR A MEAL EVERYONE
MIGHT EAT AND ENDING UP WITH PASTA AGAIN
Consider this the nutritional dark side of the above scenario.
It’s because of how many people lack either command of a
kitchen—the confidence to routinely whip up a nutritious,
responsible, tasty meal for their family—or the passion for
meal planning day after day. In this case, at least you’re likely
wasting less because you’re buying the ingredients the day of.
(They’re fresher and so probably taste better, too, for what it’s
worth.) But the quality of the meals becomes questionable when you
lack inspiration. Anecdotally, meal kit companies may be nudg-
ing people to shift toward healthier, more environmentally
friendly eating patterns over the long run. One HelloFresh user
told me that seeing the vegetarian-themed option appear in her

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